The DC Extended Universe is in need of a comical counterpart to Deadpool to match Marvel's success, and Plastic Man seems the perfect figure to take on this role. The Merc With A Mouth is known for his constant supply of quips and wit, as well as being on the fringe of the established hero community - two traits Plastic Man also notably shares.
In fact, Plastic Man is much the same as Marvel's Deadpool in many regards, with his elastic and plastic body granting him the same nigh invulnerability as Deadpool’s regeneration gene. They’re both the plucky yet incredibly powerful comic relief - capable of saving the day and providing a fair few laughs while they do so. The pair are also notoriously laid back, often even in the face of danger, again likely as a result of their respective powers, which make them borderline impossible to kill. And with a Plastic Man film reportedly in production, eventual comparisons to the Deadpool movies seem inevitable.
But whereas Deadpool is a hero whose films are almost always going to receive an R-rating, Plastic Man is significantly less adult in tone. This means he’s capable of filling the niche Deadpool does, while also being able to be in the major DCEU films without having to be reigned in.
Why Add Plastic Man To The DCEU?
Eel O’Brian, also known by his straight-forward hero moniker of Plastic Man, is perhaps one of the most under-appreciated members of DC’s Justice League. After being exposed to a mysterious acid, Eel found his body had taken on the qualities of elastic, allowing him to both stretch himself to surreal proportions, but also to be invulnerable to many things that would kill a regular human. Though he wouldn’t know it for some time, many other abilities would come with this, including resistance to telepathy and immortality.
Despite being so powerful - and having been a part of several big comic storylines - it’s not all that common for the spotlight to fall on Plastic Man for very long. This is a shame, as Plastic Man is a genuinely fascinating figure, essentially answering the question of what the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards would be like were he less prone to scientific endeavors and more prone to wacky hijinks involving his powers. Though the obvious initial comparison to the Marvel universe is with Mister Fantastic, Plastic Man has far more in common with Deadpool. Both are characters who use comedy to deal with their strange lives and unpleasant pasts, and also serve as characters who are vastly underestimated power-wise, both in-universe and by the fanbase alike.
Can Plastic Man Be As Funny As Deadpool?
If there’s one thing that is initially apparent in both Deadpool and Plastic Man, it’s that comedy is at the center of their purpose and their characters. Usually paired with dour scowling figures like Batman or Cable, Plastic Man and Deadpool serve as a break from other individuals' more stoic tones while also injecting just a little extra chaos into whatever events are taking place. As they often serve the same purpose in the narrative, it’s no surprise that the endless wise-cracking is another shared trait, especially when it comes to jokes that involve a wink to the reader.
Admittedly, Plastic Man doesn’t have exactly the same sense of humor as Deadpool, though both characters can be incredibly meta with their jokes at times. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While Plastic Man doesn’t have as adult a sense of humor in the comics, he does also avoid some of the pitfalls that have appeared in Deadpool’s comedy fall into over the years. For starters, not everything Plastic Man says has to be funny, which actually makes the legitimate jokes land far better sometimes. Secondly, there isn’t a need to make Plastic Man say catchphrases or be “so random” as there was for a period of time with at least the comic Deadpool, leading to countless shirts of chimichangas that, while charming, did seem to be drawing the hero in a worrying direction on a creative level. As such, while Plastic Man may not have as many jokes as his unkillable red counterpart, the crucial part is they have the same fourth-wall-breaking style, and all the gags that come with this.
Can Plastic Man Fight As Well As Deadpool?
Though it’s often played down in lieu of the excellent comedy, some of the most engaging moments of Deadpool both in the film world and the comics are the fight scenes. It's not easy to have a fight where one side is essentially immortal still feel involved, and yet between the unique and thought out fights using Deadpool’s powers and the gleeful gore, they’re absolutely wonderful.
While Plastic Man would likely have to avoid being as violent for a cavalcade of reasons, his powers would afford a similar level of visual wonder to come to a big-screen adaptation that saw him take his enemies down. There’s the expected use of stretching for punches and dodging, of course, but DC has gone far beyond this with Plastic Man before. In fact, in Dark Night: Metal the hero turns himself into a verifiable death machine: part T-Rex and part whirling blades. In short, there’s just as much potential for Plastic Man to have as cinematic fight scenes as Deadpool - if not maybe even more dramatic ones.
Why Plastic Man is Crucial To DC
Most superheroes come from inherently moral backgrounds, either deciding to commit their lives to fighting crime as practically an infant, or otherwise having seen something bad happen, choosing to defend the innocent for the rest of their days. In fact, in the current DCEU films, the most "immoral" hero seen so far is Shazam, and it's somewhat hard to say that a child with abandonment issues is exactly immoral. Eel O’Brian, however, would be incredibly immoral at the start of a Plastic Man film, given he was an active criminal prior to his hero career.
While it'd seem inevitable that someone who has been a criminal would make a terrible role model in terms of superheroes, the opposite is actually true. A lot of costumed crusaders are better than a person could ever imagine being - as DCEU heroes like Superman and Batman have lives the vast majority of us could never match or one hundred percent relate to, at least in terms of backstory. Plastic Man, however, appeals to those who haven’t had perfect lives, as he reminds them nobody is born good; good people choose to do the right thing, even if they take a while to do so.
